PREP SPORTS
St. Pius breaks ground on new sports facility to open in 2027
School sees future stadium as something that 'will truly be ours'
It was hard to figure out which was louder: the popping tubes of confetti when St. Pius school officials broke ground on a new stadium Thursday, or the cheers that followed when the previously contained black and gold flakes 鈥� the Sartans鈥� school colors 鈥� burst into the air.
No, it wasn鈥檛 for Curtis Flakes Jr.鈥檚 44th birthday, but the St. Pius football coach couldn鈥檛 help but appreciate the moment anyway.
鈥淲hat a birthday gift,鈥� Flakes said with a grin. 鈥淗aving our own home field? We鈥檙e super excited about that.鈥�
The rest of St. Pius鈥� students, coaches, teachers, administrators and alumni are looking forward to the planned 2027 opening, too, even if the school鈥檚 future multiuse facility for football, soccer, and track and field is currently a small pile of dirt next to an excavator.
St. Pius' head coach Curtis Flakes II prays with his players before their game against West Mesa at Nusenda Community Stadium, August 23, 2025.
Hey, every project has to start somewhere. And for this project, that meant a groundbreaking ceremony in front of Ben Rios Field 鈥� the school鈥檚 current soccer stadium.
鈥淭here鈥檚 been so many memories and great experiences on this field, so it鈥檚 a little bittersweet in that way,鈥� said boys soccer coach AJ Herrera, who won four state titles during his playing career at St. Pius and was the 1998-99 New Mexico Gatorade Player of the Year.
鈥淏ut this is the right decision for the school and the athletic programs, and that makes this super exciting. We鈥檝e been waiting a long time for today and this means so much to the whole community.鈥�
The Sartans鈥� new stadium will feature green turf, have a seating capacity of 3,000 and offer the usual amenities of a digital scoreboard, press box and concessions. The biggest? It will have lights. The stadium field will also retain the Ben Rios name in honor of one of the school鈥檚 former students.
All in all, the stadium is projected to cost around $5 million with St. Pius seeking to raise an additional $1 million 鈥渂ecause the more we can raise, the more bells and whistles we can have and help us build some features now instead of waiting,鈥� said Julie Cook, St. Pius鈥� vice president of institutional advancement.
Construction is scheduled to begin this summer with the major infrastructure and stadium framework to be completed some time in the fall. The football and soccer portions of the stadium are expected to be completed in the spring of 2027, in plenty of time for that year鈥檚 upcoming football and soccer seasons.
And that鈥檚 when the real fun will begin.
Per the school, St. Pius last hosted an on-campus football game in 1997 before opting to rent out game-day facilities from sa国际传媒官网网页入口 Public Schools. It was a decision motivated by the Sartans outgrowing their on-campus crowd capacity.
Between renting APS facilities, staffing them and getting security, it currently costs the school close to $5,000 per home game, Flakes said. Funds that can soon be directed back into St. Pius and its athletic programs.
鈥淲hen it鈥檚 all said and done, I think our stadium is gonna be great,鈥� Flakes said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 gonna be a beautiful facility sitting over on the West Side. It鈥檚 gonna make things so much easier with scheduling 鈥� we want to not just be a New Mexico brand, but a national brand 鈥� and it will be a venue for our own people to hold things.鈥�
The stadium project is the first phase of planned upgrades to St. Pius鈥� athletic facilities. There are plans for a new gym for basketball and volleyball, as well as the addition of on-campus tennis courts.
鈥淚t will be gratifying to complete the stadium because it will truly be ours, but then we look to the next project and then the next project,鈥� Cook said. 鈥�... We will have the facilities to match the successes we鈥檝e had in all these sports, and that means even more.鈥�
And that鈥檚 what Thursday was about. Not so much about the finished project 鈥� that will come 鈥� but where St. Pius believes it鈥檚 heading.
鈥淭he school is committed to this,鈥� Herrera said. 鈥淭he energy of the community is at an all-time high and this is another thing contributing to that.鈥�
David Glovach covers New Mexico United and other sports for the Journal. Reach him at dglovach@abqjournal.com or via X .
